James Scott Bell

Gather round the ol' cracker barrel, children. Let me tell you a story of long ago, when the only place you could get books was a bookstore. Yes! It’s really true! Now, a bookstore was a wondrous place. It was a building made of bricks and mortar, and it had shelves filled with books you could touch, take down and look atright there in the store! In this land the only way a writer could get a book into those stores was by entering into a contract with a publishing company a...nd ceding the rights to his work. Those were perilous times, children... https://killzoneblog.com//11/giving-an-old-book-new-life.h

Write Awesomely https://killzoneblog.com/2020/10/write-awesomely.html

Reflections on one of the greatest moments I've ever experienced, and what it means for writers. https://killzoneblog.com//write-a-big-moment-for-all-its-w

I miss crowds. I miss a packed Dodger Stadium in the bottom of the ninth, the fans on their feet, stomping and screaming and willing a hit. Or the Hollywood Bowl on a summer evening, be it jazz or Beethoven, as long as I’m there with my wife, a bottle of wine, and lots of people.... How about a Broadway theater? Nothing like being front row, center, for a hit like Chicago with the legendary Gwen Verdon (as I was one night long ago.) Heck, give me Langer’s Deli at lunchtime as I munch their famous #19 pastrami on rye, with the chatter of random conversation all around me. I miss the bustle of the streets in downtown L.A. and midtown Manhattan. Now those places look like something out of I Am Legend. Will crowds ever come back? Will people ever rub shoulders again without masks or hypochondria? READ MORE: https://killzoneblog.com//the-creative-energy-of-crowds.ht

We’ve all been there. We’re driving home from a party where we were engaged in robust conversation. Someone said something boneheaded and we thought, That was a boneheaded thing to say. But not wishing to hammer that very obvious nail, we did not reply. Now, halfway home, it comes to us. The perfect comeback! Witty, wise, pithy. If only we could go back in time! We’d be like the legendary members of the Algonquin round table. (He and I had an office so tiny, that an inch sma...ller and it would have been adultery. Dorothy Parker.) This fate does not have to befall your characters, for you have the luxury of time and reflection to give them wit on the spot... https://tinyurl.com/yyyoasqm

40 years ago, today, I saw a vision that changed my life. The story is here: https://killzoneblog.com///the-vision-on-the-stairway.html

Masterpiece definitely describes Touch of Evil (1958). It was considered by Universal to be a nice little crime movie for Charlton Heston (pre-Ben Hur). No one thought of the material as anything earth shattering. It was based on the novel Badge of Evil by Whit Masterson, the pseudonym of crime fiction duo Bob Wade and H. Bill Miller. Welles was cast as the villain, corrupt police captain Hank Quinlan. This is when the merciful fates of film stepped in. During a phone call ...between Heston and the producers, Heston suggested that Welles might also direct. Universal asked Welles if he’d like to helm the picture, and Welles said yes, provided he got to re-write the script. Again, considering Welles’s reputation the time, that Universal acceded to the request makes it seem those movie fates were working overtime. Touch of Evil, in can be argued, is the last true film noir...MORE HERE: https://tinyurl.com/y77kjld9

How do writers bring a character to life without mere "telling"? Here's how: https://killzoneblog.com/2020/06/how-to-characterize.html

It's in times like these that thrillers bring the light. https://killzoneblog.com//05/thrillers-bring-the-light.html

Friends, I pray you are all hanging in there during these challenging times. And by that I mean the onslaught of the murder hornet! (Sheesh, who is running this show? Stephen King?) But there's good news. The devout praying mantis eats these little monsters. Now that's a buzz kill I can live with! Regarding our lockdown challenge, I keep thinking of the exchange between Frodo and Gandalf in Lord of the Rings: I wish it need not have happened in my time, said Frodo. ... So do I, said Gandalf, and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. Redeem the time by Zooming with loved ones, getting some sunshine (Vitamin D rocks!) and exercise, and of course reading entertaining fiction. In that regard, I have a couple of fiction deals for you in these cash-strapped times. 1. The first book in my Mike Romeo thriller series, ROMEO'S RULES, is FREE today and tomorrow in the Kindle store. It is being sponsored by BookBub, that great group that brings you ebook deals each day. I'd love it if you'd give ROMEO'S RULES a look and, if you are so moved, leave a review. Please order via the BookBub link: https://www.bookbub.com//romeo-s-rules-by-james-scott-bell 2. I have recently released a new stand-alone thriller, LAST CALL. I priced it at the low end, 99, because I just want folks to have it. Why not add it to you TBR pile? Here's what one review says: "James ScottBell had so many unexpected twists and turns in this story that I kept reading as fast as possible and read it in one sitting. No falling asleep with this one! Expect the unexpected!" You can get LAST CALL here: https://amzn.to/3b1vFK6 In the Frank Capra movie, Meet John Doe (1941), there's a character (played by Walter Brennan) who is perfectly content to be a hobo and have nothing to do with the world. When someone asks him why he doesn't read the newspaper, he says, "I don't read no papers and I don't listen to radios, neither. I know the world's been shaved by a drunken barber and I don't have to read it." Maybe he's got something there. Less news, more escape into booksprint, e, and audio. I'm all for it! Your author friend, Jim

I'm reflecting on reading habits during this massive shutdown; also, a new bit of reading pleasure made available. https://tinyurl.com/yc83ebb2

I had great fun revisiting some "classic" TV commercials. They'll bring a smile to your lips today. https://killzoneblog.com//storytelling-lessons-in-60-secon

An important discussion going on over at Kill Zone, on what this pandemic will mean to contemporary fiction going forward. https://killzoneblog.com//how-will-our-fiction-change-post

We all could use some giggles. We're having fun over at Kill Zone today. I think you'll be amused. https://tinyurl.com/sjamp8e